Code of Conduct case - Employee found to have made inappropriate postings on social media

An employee was
found to have breached section 13(11) of the Code of Conduct for posting
material on Facebook that had the potential to bring his agency into disrepute.
He posted two comments on his Facebook page, one critical of a grants process
conducted by his agency and the second criticising the achievements of a senior
employee who received an honour on the Queen's birthday.

The employee's
Facebook page was private and did not identify the employee as an employee of
his agency. Nevertheless, his postings came to the attention of his employer.
The Merit Protection Commissioner confirmed the findings of the agency decision
maker that the employee's comments were not confined to publically available
information and that it was reasonable to assume that at least some of his
Facebook friends would be aware of his employment. The Merit Protection
Commissioner also found that the behaviour was in breach of the agency's social
media policy which warned employees not to publish material on social media
that could harm the reputation of the agency or bring it into disrepute.

The Merit
Protection Commissioner recommended that the agency confirm the sanctions of a
fine and reprimand imposed on the employee.